Following exposure by goanews.com about the farcical inquiry conducted by Goa Medical College into the death of former Congress MLA Jitendra Deshprabhu, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane has moved into action, forming a new committee to probe the whole episode.

“The old committee is non-existent. It was by the GMC. Now government is appointing a new committee under the health secretary”, Rane told goanews.com.

Neela Mohanan is the health secretary.

Rane said he would decide the committee members after consulting the health secretary once the file comes to him.

Rane however specifically said this committee would have new terms of reference, probing why there was delay in treating Deshprabhu when he was brought to the GMC.

The committee would investigate all the events right from why Deshprabhu was denied admission in Redkar hospital to why he was not immediately intubated and put on ventilator when he was brought to the GMC hospital, Rane said.

“It would be a through inquiry”, he told goanews.com, adding that other members of the committee would be finalised in next two-three days.

He has also instructed the health secretary to work out a Standard Operating Procedure for the whole functioning of GMC hospital.

With the death of Deshprabhu, the whole functioning of GMC hospital has come under scanner the way in which the patient of bilateral pneumonia was treated.

On 21st April, former Pedne MLA Deshprabhu was brought to GMC hospital in a gasping state.

The patient was referred to the GMC with a letter sent by Redkar Hospital to the GMC. It had clearly stated that he is suffering with acute respiratory distress, while suggesting ventilator support.

Since the symptoms were similar to deadly COVID19, the private hospital had also intimated the GMC that Covid test of Deshprabhu is being conducted privately and the report is awaited.

In spite of this, instead of sending the patient to the isolation ward No 113 set up for such Covid suspect cases, gasping Deshprabhu was brought to the Casualty and then was taken for CT scan instead of intubation and ventilator support.

The CT scan report established that Deshprabhu was suffering with bilateral pneumonia.

He breathed his last when he was then shifted to the isolation ward.

Following this, the GMC Dean had suspended a senior resident from Radiology department pending inquiry.

The GMC authorities had observed that the CT scan was delayed by 35 minutes, claiming it to be the cause of his death.

Simultaneously, an internal committee was set up only to probe the cause of delay in conducting CT scan.

Interestingly, one of the committee members was the acting HoD of Medicine department, which was primarily monitoring Deshprabhu’s case and also handles the Covid cases.

On the other hand, the Under Secretary (Health) had issued a show cause notice to the HoD of Radiology department regarding delay in the CT scan.

“We had issued the show cause notice to seek explanation from the HoD while GMC set up an internal committee to probe the issue”, Rane said.

goanews.com, through its video programme ‘Standpoint’ today morning, exposed the whole farcical manner in which the issue was handled by appointing the HoD of Medicine on the inquiry committee and suspending a doctor from Radiology, but not probing why Deshprabhu was not intubated and put on ventilator as soon as he arrived at GMC.

goanews.com had also raised eyebrows over appointing HoD of Medicine on the inquiry committee when the same department was handling Deshprabhu’s case.